Bicyclist/motorist etiquette required

BICYCLIST/MOTORIST ETIQUETTE REQUIRED ON SUN CITY AND OTHER PUBLIC ROADWAYS

Please don’t yell at me from your car window! I’m on a bike, balanced on two thin tires and the distraction can lead to an accident.

If I’m doing something wrong in Sun City call Securitas. They will be there and catch up with me in minutes. If outside of Sun City the sheriff will also respond quickly.

The usual “yell” is “single file” or “get on the bike path”.

Let me explain why I am out in the lane. Sun City Blvd. has two lanes in each direction and no shoulder. If I ride close to the right edge I will have to turn into traffic if an obstacle is ahead of me. More important, a car passing in my lane is just too close. In Cycling 101 we’re taught that the safe thing to do in this situation is “take the lane”, that is ride in the inside 1/3 of the lane. The car must pass from the outside lane, just as you must do with golf carts.

By the way, state law and Sun City regulations allow bikes to ride two abreast. As a courtesy we usually ride single file. We ride double when in a large group so our line is half as long. I also ride double with my wife on Sun City Blvd. I think I’m protecting her and I admit that I just enjoy talking to her all the time.

Now about the bike path along Bluffton/Buckwalter Parkways. Well it’s not really a bike path but a multi-purpose path. We share this path with mothers pushing baby carriages, people walking dogs, runners and walkers.

Again state law states we should use the path or road based on what we consider safer.

Some portions of the path are curved with limited forward visibility or covered with leaves and twigs. Portions of the path have crosswalks. Cars coming out of plantations have to go beyond the crosswalk to see oncoming traffic. They are not looking for bikes. In these situations it is safer for us on the road. When the road is straight and we can see it is clear far ahead we use the path.

So the cyclist who is riding double or on the road where a path is available is not breaking the law. Yelling out a car window at a cyclist is called harassment and is breaking the law and subject to a traffic citation.

We want to share the road. We try to be courteous and cause as little disruption as possible to car traffic but be safe on the ride.

ADVISORY: Users are solely responsible for opinions they post here and for
following agreed-upon rules of civility. Posts and
comments do not reflect the views of this site. Posts and comments are
automatically checked for inappropriate language, but readers might find some
comments offensive or inaccurate. If you believe a comment violates our rules,
click the "Flag as offensive" link below the comment.

While reading the letter regarding bicycles on the roadway several points come to mind. You state that some portions to the path are curved with limited visibility. I have spent quite a bit of time on the bike trails and have never seen a "blind curve" anywhere. The bike paths are never crowded so all that is necessary is slowing down to make turns. This might be a problem for you since you would have to extend courtesy to others using the paths versus expecting others to yield to you. To ride bikes on the road when there is no path is one thing to make yourself a menace on the roads such as Bluffton Parkway is another. You may need to ride on the roadways in Sun City but they also have a very low speed limit for motorists. Too many bicyclists pull in front of automobiles trying to make turns into or out of businesses or subdivisions.
Common sense needs to enter into this equation at some point. A wiggling, wobbling, unsteady bicyclist has no place on any public roadway. Roads are for autos first and foremost and while driving we should all be courteous to bikers but bicyclists need to practice some practical common sense. While you may have been lucky so far practicing your biking practices, your luck may not last forever. In the case of a car vs bike accident, the car is always going to come out ahead. To needlessly invite tragedy is irresponsible at best and misguided at worst. To cause someone driving a car into an accident while trying to avoid your bicycle may not land you in trouble with the law but it might lay heavily on your conscience.

Comments are welcome, so long as they are civil. A Facebook account is required. Abuse may result in the commenter being permanently blocked. Personal attacks are strictly prohibited. We reserve the right to remove any comments at any time.